College Football Week 4: Final Thoughts & A Look Ahead

Georgia- Saturday’s game was about what we expected. Georgia came out a little flat, but overall they took care of business. There is not much to say about the Southern game. I was glad to see Nick Chubb(pictured) get his 12th 100 yard game, but I was a little concerned about the O-line’s slow start. Let’s hope that will not be the case this Saturday. Hard to write anything about UGA this week and not talk about Bama. So what hell, I am going to go ahead and talk Bama. This is a big one for both teams but for different reasons. The game was always going to be a huge match up, but now it means different things for these teams. Georgia needs a win because they need to validate their ranking. So far, UGA hasn’t really played anyone, and the smart fans know it’s true. In addition, Mark Richt has developed a reputation of losing big games. One could argue if this is fair or not, but losing this game will not help that perception. The UGA fan base needs this win too. Last year fans suffered through 3 bad losses to South Carolina, Florida, and Tech. Georgia needs a win on Saturday to prove to the fans that the program is progressing in the right direction. For all of these reasons, Saturday is important for Georgia. But it may be even more important for Alabama.

Ole Miss handed Alabama an early loss, and the natives are growing restless. Some fools are even calling for a new head coach. You have to understand that Alabama fans tend have a short memory. Most seem to have no recollection of 1994 to about 2006. That and many other reasons are why Bama’s fan base is one of the most despised in all of football. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of lovely Bama fans. But too many are just over the top, and Paul Finebaum has made a nice career for himself by introducing these rabid fans to America. Fan base aside, Bama needs to win this game more than Georgia. Alabama expects to win the SEC West and contend for a national championship every year. If they lose this game those aspirations are likely done. Granted, if any team can win it all with 2 losses it would be Alabama. Nevertheless, winning the SEC West becomes very difficult with 2 losses, and LSU looming in the future. So basically, Alabama has to win Saturday to stay relevant this year. That is a scary thing if you are Georgia fan. Before the season began, I called for UGA to win this game. I am going to have to go back on that one. I think the circumstances have changed and Alabama may pull this one out. I really hope that I am wrong, and nothing would be please me greater than to be wrong. However, if I am right, and the Bulldogs lose on Saturday don’t fret. All is not lost. Losing to Alabama will not matter if Georgia can take care of business the rest of the season. Regardless, pull hard for the Dawgs on Saturday and let’s see if they can win a big game at home. GO DAWGS!

Tennessee– WOWSER! Can you believe they lost that game? What happened to brick by brick? I mean come on man. I didn’t get to watch all of this game Saturday because the wife and I had an unexpected opportunity to leave the kids and go out. We went to NONA downtown, and I kept an eye on this game until the 4th quarter. I really thought Tennessee was going to win, but when I came back to check on the score they had lost the lead. In spite of that, they still had a shot to win with a field goal. Hell, they even got two attempts at the field goal and still lost. GEEZ! I am no Tennessee fan, but I really can’t stand Florida. So I was pulling for the Vols. I could go on to discuss Butch Jones as their coach. But I will hold off on any further Tennessee comments until next week.

Georgia Tech– They lost to Duke and it was great. That makes two losses in a row for Coach Paul Johnson who had no problem hanging 60 plus points on lesser opponents earlier this year. I am not a big fan of blowing out a team by 55 + points. Some argue that it is the other team’s job to stop them from scoring. That is true up to a point. For example, if a boxer knocks someone down three times in a round they call it a TKO. When a team is winning by 45 Points it is essentially the TKO of football. A class act would not keeping scoring. You may have inferred that I do not care for Tech or Paul Johnson. But I will be fair and admit that he is a good coach. I will also admit that they lost to good teams. But that is all I will do. Boo Tech, Boo Paul Johnson, and Boo their offense.

Oregon– This past weekend was full of delights. Tech and Auburn lost which is always fun for a Georgia fan, but no one saw Oregon losing so badly. Utah, who is apparently pretty darn good, blew them away 60 to 20. Living in the Southeast, I should not really care too much about Oregon. As a child, I kind of liked them because they never played UGA and their mascot looked like Donald Duck, a childhood favorite. Of course, Oregon would eventually establish themselves as a legitimate college football power. I had no issue with Oregon initially, but now I can’t stand them. I am just TOTALLY fed up with the damn uniforms(pictured). They are AWFUL. Oregon and Nike are responsible for all of these awful looking uniforms. Remember that terrible Nike Pro-Combat get up that UGA wore against Boise State? Worst Uniforms EVER! Do you know who is to blame? Phil Knight, Nike, and Oregon are to blame. So BOO Oregon. In addition, my oldest son now wants to wear neon colored shoes and socks. Therefore, not only do I have to see great uniforms ruined, but I have to argue with my son about sock color. I long for the day when Oregon fades back into college football obscurity. But I fear that day may never come.

So Called “Football Geniuses”- I must be in a bad mood because a lot of this post seems to be a gripe. Oh well, I guess I will keep on griping. Are you familiar with how often the term “genius” is thrown around today? It is so overused but especially when it comes to football. Aren’t you sick and tired of hearing how some football coach is a “genius”? I know I am. Allow me to clarify a few things. Albert Einstein was a genius. Stephen Hawking is a genius, but Gus Malzahn is NOT A GENIUS. And guess what? Neither are Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, and Chip Kelly. They are football coaches not geniuses. Are they good football coaches? Yes, and I am sure they are very smart men. But how in the world does winning some football games make one a genius? Well guess what? These four so called geniuses have combined for 7 losses this year and it’s not even October.